The Challenge
by Correcthorsebatterystaple
Summary: Luminous has a challenge for Phantom; if he's really as much of a chick magnet as he claims to be, then he'll be able to seduce one of the other heroes. Will he succeed, or will he fail? Phan/Evan.
1. Prologue

Phantom perched on a table in Lania's house, meeting Luminous's scathing look with a smirk. Lania stood back and smiled as she washed the dishes, glancing over her shoulder. Phantom was almost surprised that she hadn't grabbed a bag of popcorn by then, with how interested she seemed to be in he and Luminous's mock arguments.

It was one of the few times Phantom and the other heroes had wound up in Ellinia. It had been several months since Mercedes, Evan, and Phantom had joined up together to hunt down the Black Wings, commanders, and their cruel leader.

Aran was missing, and Luminous still refused to fight against the Black Mage with them. Instead, he preferred to stay in his _oh so perfect_ little house with his precious girl, whose life he was endangering by staying with her. Phantom held nothing but scorn for his former companion on that matter, but on the other hand, there was a kind of bickering affection the two shared.

"I'm telling you," Phantom boasted, "I could have anyone I wanted. Even you."

"Would you, mister Phantom, would you? Luminous won't get me a mom!" Lania piped in, her long blond hair whipping her back with how fast she turned around. Soap suds dripped onto the floor from her little clasped hands, as her face lit up as if it was Maplemas. The blond thief sniggered. He nimbly hopped off of the table and ruffled her head, leaving her with blond strands sticking up cutely. The little girl giggled and shooed his hands away.

Luminous proceeded to bury his head in his hands and release a long-suffering sigh. "Who would want a pesky thief for a lover?"

Phantom slowly raised an eyebrow. The corner of his mouth tipped up, showing a hint of teeth in a grin, "Ask that of my adoring fans, Lumi."

"You continue to showcase your idiocy by being unable to say a simple name. '_LU-MI-NOUS',_" The mage slowly enunciated.

"Lighten up," Phantom paused, and then started laughing. "Get it? Get it? _Lighten _up. And you're a light mage."

"You disgust me."

Luminous paused, an idea coming to mind to get the ridiculous man out of his home before the blond disappeared with something that didn't belong to him attached to his sticky fingers.

It could have repercussions, but...

The scheming hero decided it didn't matter, it wasn't like Phantom would actually be able to.

"If you're so irresistible, then why aren't any of the other heroes in love with you?"

Phantom crossed his arms over his chest and grinned, before uttering the four words Luminous knew were coming.

"Is that a challenge?"

After all, Phantom could never resist a challenge.


	2. Rule 1, you gotta have fun

The three heroes were setting up camp for the night. It was forbidden to create fire in the forest of the fairies, and so they were left setting up only tents. At least it wasn't that cold within Ellinia in the evening.

The heroes couldn't afford to risk traveling by taxi or ship; the Black Mage had spies in those areas. Spies that were ready to knock them out and deliver to them as slaves to their master. They had learned the hard way after Evan had nearly been lost; they had just barely managed to rescue him in time. So instead, the heroes traveled around searching for rumors of the Black Mage, training along the way.

A certain pesky thief was sitting up in one of the trees by where they were camping, dangling his feet and staring down at the other two, face twitching with a withheld smile. _Oh, this was going to be so much fun._ But which of them would he seduce?

Phantom rested his cheek in the palm of his hand, glancing at Mercedes. He knew the elf queen found him to be handsome, but there was no way she would ever fall for him. Sometimes he could almost swear that the woman had a heart of ice when it came to anyone but her people and... Well, Evan. She was over-protective of him in a familial way.

So; that left Evan. The problem was how to go about it. And to know that, Phantom had to know what Evan was attracted to. The only way to find this out was to befriend the teen.

To be honest, Phantom had never really gotten to know him. They had made small talk on their journey, but Phantom mostly kept to himself. It was easier that way; he didn't think he could stand it if he befriended anyone else, and they died in those chaos filled times.

But... Phantom couldn't stand backing down from a challenge, either.

Well, that settled it.

Phantom disappeared in a flash of cards, only to reappear right next to Evan. The brunette startled, starting to trip over his own feet, but the master thief caught him by the forearms, steadying him with a smirk. "Careful, there."

"You scared me," Evan smiled sheepishly as he rubbed at the back of his neck. "You're just in time for dinner, Mister Phantom. It's not much, since there's no fire, but..."

Phantom glanced at the tastefully arranged freshly picked vegetables and berries. Evan really was a good cook. The young man seemed completely oblivious of Phantom's plans of seduction.

_Bleh, what a pile of muck, _Mir chirped in telepathically. The small dragon was a carnivore, after all.

Mercedes sat on the ground, her travel pack beside her. She was quiet, most likely brooding over how her people were still frozen in ice. Perfect; this meant that she wouldn't notice the thief's sudden advances.

Phantom saw Evan taking some food and heading over to sit by Mercedes, who he was more familiar with, and he seized his chance- literally. He caught the young dragon master's wrist, meeting the brunette's startled look.

"Would you sit with me?" Phantom asked smoothly.

"Um... Okay," Evan sat cross-legged on the leaf-strewn ground.

It was one of Phantom's best strengths that he could come up with things on the fly. And so, as they sat down, Phantom used that to his advantage.

"So, Evan. It has come to my attention that you're untrained. I'd like to fix that."

Evan cocked his head to the side in a cute manner. "What do you mean?"

"We live in a time of danger, as you know. Your fighting skills increase as we train together, but they will never reach their full capacity unless you have someone to teach you. I may not remember all of my former fighting abilities, but I still remember the tricks of the trade," Phantom paused. "In short, I want to be your mentor."

The blond hid a smirk. _Nothing like getting up close and personal in a duel, eh, Evan? Oh, you'll enjoy this..._

Evan smiled. "I'd be honored," He glanced down at his boots and bit his lip. "I know that I'm still not very useful."

Phantom pat the boy on the shoulder, feeling a rise of something close to affection. "Nonsense. of course you are."

Evan shoveled down his food, ears turning red with embarrassment; he'd never been complimented much by anyone but his parents.

He missed them so much sometimes. But he couldn't send them letters, drop by for a visit, _anything,_ or else he would endanger them.

Mir, sensing his sadness, headbutted him, looking up at him with those slitted, murky golden eyes of his. Evan rubbed him on the head lovingly. Mir truly was the second half of his soul; the brunette would compare him to a brother, but Mir was far closer than that. They shared their every thoughts with each other.

Phantom observantly noticed the sad look on Evan's face. The boy was like an open book... He took his chance and pulled the young hero against his chest.

"I- er, what..?" Evan stuttered, feeling the blond's warm body behind him and his arms wrapped around his waist.

"It's called a hug," Phantom explained with a snicker.

"I know that!" The dragon master huffed.

"You just looked like you needed one," He murmured in the teen's ear, noting with amusement how he twitched a little bit.

Ah, this was going to be so much fun.

* * *

From Ellinia, the trio traveled to Perion, following the rumor of a sighting of some sort of dark magic in the area. The climate in the desolate plains was much more heated and muggy, and left the heroes sweating and uncomfortable. Phantom had the worst time of it; his clothing was more heavy than Mercedes's or Evan's. For once, he cursed his taste in fine clothing.

Evan was in the front with his nose buried in a map of Perion as they walked, fingertips tracing along different parts. As they came to a branching of pathways up ahead, the mage nodded to the left side.

"It's this way."

After they had bought a map, Evan had become their navigator of sorts, proving Phantom's point that he was useful. At the moment, the dragon master was leading the way to the town, where the three of them would consult with the most powerful tribesman in Perion; Balrog. His name was longer than that, but Phantom was pretty sure no one actually called him by it.

Balrog was the man in charge of training the newest warriors. Every time a young adventurer with potential came to him, he would imbue the person with a small bit of his magic to help him or her along. From what Phantom had heard, the wiseman was quite peaceful, and spent most of his time meditating or eating eccentric foods.

Some time in the afternoon, the exhausted heroes set up camp to take a break. Phantom had stripped off his cloak and military style shirt, Mercedes sat on a rock fanning herself, and Evan had rolled his capri's all the way up to his thighs.

Phantom stood up and offered a hand to Evan. "Care to do some training?"

"In this heat?" Mercedes protested immediately, "Evan could exhaust himself too much and-"

"Or, he could die at the hands of the Black Mage's minions due to not knowing enough battle training," Phantom cut in sweetly.

"Phantom-"

"No, he's right," Evan took Phantom's hand and stood up. "I want to become stronger."

Mercedes sighed and picked up her bowguns. "Then I may as well do some training myself," The elf queen walked off in the opposite direction of them.

Meanwhile, Phantom pulled a card from his boot and tossed it to Evan, who was startled but still managed to grab it from the air. It turned into a sword in his hands.

"Nice catch," Phantom flashed Evan a smile as he twirled his cane. The two walked to a more wide open space

"A sword...?" Evan asked confusedly, at the same time as Mir did.

"If you're ever separated from Mir, you need to know how to defend yourself without him."

Phantom tossed his cane up in the air, and it disappeared in a flash of light to return as an ornate weapon of his own. He caught it smoothly

"Ready?" The master thief quirked a brow.

Evan gave a tentative nod and settled into a battle stance... That was terrible.

Phantom sighed and strode to behind the teen, nudging him into a better stance. "You're far too open. Anybody could take you down with you fighting like this," his hand on Evan's thigh guided him to move his legs a little closer in together. Phantom deliberately put his hand higher up than necessary, gauging the way his now trainee reacted by tensing up. "You're not doing the splits. Bend your knees a little, and put one foot in front of the other."

Evan did so.

"Don't hold your sword so far out," Phantom grabbed Evan's wrists and pulled his arms in closer to his body, so that his elbows were tucked in.

Evan blushed furiously, very aware that Phantom was shirtless and practically hugging him from behind as he adjusted his position. It didn't make any sense, but his heart was pounding.

"Got it?"

"Y-yeah."

Phantom moved back to stand in front of Evan in a fighting stance of his own.

"...Let's try this again. Ready?"

"Yes," Evan said nervously. The only sword fighting he had ever done was play fighting Utah with sticks.

All of a sudden, there was a sword swinging at the young man. He let out a yelp and parried on instinct, letting his opponent's sword slide off of the flat of his blade with a sharp clang. Before he could put in a hit of his own, Phantom swung his weapon again. This time, Evan caught it with the sharp of his blade. Phantom stepped back and let out an exasperated sigh. "Evan, don't. That will damage the sword."

Evan hung his head sheepishly. "Yes, Mister Phantom."

"Come on. Try again."

This time, Evan decided to take the initiative and strike first, aiming for Phantom's shoulder. The thief sidestepped and swung at Evan, a blow the mage just barely managed to parry. The blond didn't hesitate to follow up with another strike, though, and this time? Evan wasn't fast enough. The sword left a long, shallow cut across his cheek that quickly began to drip blood.

"I'm sorry," Phantom sighed and dropped the sword, ushering Evan back to camp. The injury wasn't serious at all, but it must have stung, because Evan was wincing.

"It's fine," Evan smiled, waving his hand. Phantom dug out the first aid kit from one of the packs and had Evan sit down while he knelt in front of him. While he dug for some gauze, he cupped Evan's chin with one hand and leaned in.

"Wh-what are you-" Evan stuttered as Phantom's lips brushed his bleeding cheek and his tongue briefly licked along the scratch, leaving the feeling of lightning tracing across Evan's skin. Phantom smirked at how red Evan's face had become, then cleaned the cut and taped some gauze to it.

"I- I'm going to go find Mercedes!" Evan suddenly announced, shooting up and running away.

When Evan was out of hearing range, Phantom doubled over laughing. Goddess, that had been so adorable. Evan really was fun to tease.

Phantom settled down with a smile.

His plan was working.

* * *

**AN: Reviews? Pretty please with Phantom and Evan kissing on top? c:**


	3. Rule 2, don't get attached to

The meeting with Balrog hadn't turned out as the heroes had planned. Instead of the wiseman telling them where to go to find the dark force the rumor had hinted of, they were being led in a circle.

"_Heroes, I am afraid that I have heard nothing of such an evil within Perion's borders. The empress herself has sent an undercover agent here to dig around, and she has found nothing so far._

_However, Athena Pierce wrote me a letter detailing a portal with an aura of black magic surrounding it somewhere within the town of Henesys. I would suggest you continue your journey there."_

"We're following a trail of breadcrumbs," Mercedes mumbled in a sour tone which revealed her foul mood.

"Well... Athena Pierce has seen the portal," Evan piped in, "so we're not following rumors anymore. This is real."

"Fair point, Evan," Phantom agreed.

They walked on in an exhausted silence after that.

Phantom and Evan continued their training together at every chance they got. Evan was a fast learner, and was quickly becoming skilled at sword fighting. It took one worry off of Phantom's mind that he was no longer going to be killed if he was separated from Mir.

After every duel of theirs, the two treated each other's wounds, if they had any. And every time, Phantom managed to subtly fluster Evan somehow.

It was... More fun than he had had in a long time, Phantom realized. Each day he got to know Evan a little better. And... He cared about him.

One night, Evan surprised Phantom greatly with a single question.

They were sitting side by side, backs to the fire as they both looked up at the stars. Mercedes was fast asleep inside her tent. Mir was sleeping as well.

"Mister Phantom?" Evan murmured hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"What... What was Freud like?"

Phantom inhaled sharply at the sound of his best friend's name. His best friend who had passed away. He stayed quiet for a couple of minutes.

"Never mind," Evan said hurriedly, only to be silenced by Phantom holding up a gloved hand.

"A lot like you," Phantom began quietly. "Brave. Stubborn. He liked to read dusty old books all the time, just like you do. Kind, polite... And an amazing person. Goddess, he earned the respect and love of the _king of onyx dragons_. Freud was... The kind of man that you would prefer to be on your side, not against you."

"That doesn't sound like me," Evan said abashedly.

Phantom ruffled the brunette's hair fondly. "That's because you're a good character judge of everyone but yourself."

Several quiet minutes passed, both of the heroes lost in thought. The silence was again broken by Evan.

"Mister Phantom?" Phantom glanced over at him.

"Am I just... A replacement for Freud?"

The thief grabbed Evan by the shoulders and turned him to face him.

"_No,"_ He whispered fiercely.

* * *

_If only we could use the Lumiere without being noticed,_ Phantom thought wistfully. He would love to be back in the comfort of his extravagant ship being treated by his skimpily clad maids, or standing at the tip of the ship bathed in _claire de Lune_. Both the thief and his elfin companion were used to being treated like royalty (considering that Mercedes _was_ royalty), but it brought a smirk to his lips to imagine the look on Evan's face at all of the fanciness.

Instead of all that, Phantom's clothes were dusty, he smelled bad, his hair was a mess and he had several scratches from trees in Ellinia, or accidents while training. This was _not_ the life.

_Ah, but one has to make sacrifices for the greater good,_ Phantom thought woefully, thinking himself quite commendable.

When the traveling heroes found their way to somewhere along the border between Perion and Lith Harbor, they finally came to a small stream, leading to the ocean. Evan grinned excitedly, because this meant that they could finally bathe.

Phantom tugged on his shirt, preparing to take it off, but Evan put a hand on his arm. He nodded to Mercedes shyly. "Um... Ladies go first."

The elf queen cast Evan a smile.

"She's not a lady," Phantom whispered in Evan's ear with a soft snigger. He was a little surprised by Evan's apparent chivalry, but he obliged nonetheless. The two of them sat with their backs to the body of water while Mercedes bathed.

"Do you think this portal we're heading for will have something to do with the Black Mage?" Evan pondered aloud.

"Perhaps. It's possible that it's just some young idiot practicing his black magic."

"But... Why would anyone want to use that kind of magic?" The teenager asked innocently.

"Because it's more powerful, even if it slowly corrupts the practitioner. People yearn for power. That's just the way they are."

"I don't want power," Evan muttered solemnly, "I just want to go home..."

"This is your home too, Evan," Phantom smiled, ruffling the younger's hair, "You're a hero."

Evan laughed sheepishly, then, "I don't really feel like one, you know? I feel like you've got the wrong guy."

"I know the feeling. I'm the cliché of the group; the scoundrel turned hero," Phantom chuckled.

"I'm out," Mercedes called. Evan glanced over to the side to see her wringing out her blond hair on the grass, fully dressed once more.

The young man stood up and undid the necklace around his petite neck, then shyly slipped his cloak and shirt off. He reached down to pull his bright red boots off. Next came his socks, then his jeans. He slipped into the water and dunked his head, sighing in relief at the feeling of fresh water against his skin. He resurfaced quickly.

The teen was soon enough startled by a splash of water hitting him in the face. A yelp escaped him at the sudden wave of cold against his face.

The culprit of the attack was right in front of him, clutching his sides laughing as Evan spluttered. The boy's eyes narrowed. "Oh, it's _on."_

And thus proceeded the most epic splash battle in history.

Evan and Phantom were laughing together as they emerged, soaking wet from head to toe. Evan found himself shivering, but his heart was warm.

They dressed quickly, and laid down on the grass, warmed by the sun.

Mir laid next to his soulmate, eyes drooping shut. The dragon had been sleepy most of the day.

Evan turned his head to the side to smile at the other hero as he cuddled his dripping wet dragon. "You know, Phantom... I've never had a best friend as nice as you."

For some reason, Phantom found those words precious to him.

* * *

**AN: Next time, on _The Challenge!; Evan gets a massage... -Eyebrow waggle-_**


	4. Rule 3, wear your heart on your cheek

While Mercedes, Evan and Phantom were nearing Lith Harbor, a large storm struck.

The three had been anticipating it; the sky had been stormy all of the afternoon. However, they hadn't quite expected a storm of those proportions.

Rain was pelting the ground, and the heroes, fiercely, stinging their skin. They could hear booming thunder in the distance. The sky was dark and cloudy.

They hadn't even had the chance to set up camp. And when they tried, shouting over the harsh wind, to put up their tents, it failed miserably. Two of them blew away in the wind.

Only one of the tents had survived the ordeal and stood up through the rain, and Evan had, without asking Phantom, volunteered it to Mercedes. Phantom grumbled under his breath as he, Evan and Mir found a large tree to take refuge under. They were all soaking wet and shivering.

They set up their sleeping bags and huddled in them, trembling violently with the cold that seeped through their bones. Evan especially, as he was used to the warm sunshine of Henesys.

Phantom and Evan tossed and turned but couldn't sleep. Evan kept feeling rocks underneath the thin sleeping bag, jabbing him in the bag, and no matter how much he pretended he was back home in his comfy old bed, it didn't work. When he opened his eyes, he was cold and wet and miserable.

Phantom could hear Evan's teeth chattering from where he lay. Finally, he gave in.

"Evan. Come over here."

"Why?" Evan asked curiously through his chattering, as he walked towards Phantom's sleeping bag.

"If we sleep next to each other, we'll keep warm."

"O-oh," Evan blushed and frowned. That sounded awfully like one of his mom's cheesy romance novels. "Uh..." He hesitated.

"I'm cold," Phantom pouted.

Several moments later, Phantom was putting his arms around Evan as the boy settled into the spacious sleeping bag. It was... Intimate.

And comforting to the both of them.

The blond buried his face in the young dragon master's neck, nosing the bare skin as he did so. Evan's scent was of hearth and home, if that made any sense. He smelled of fireplaces and sunlight and fresh air from opened windows. His neck was warming from all the blushing he was doing, seeing as how he was still hyper-aware of how _romantic_ this was.

But... It was hard not to relax with Phantom cuddling up to him like this. Evan couldn't remember the last time that he had been embraced so _caringly_.

The two felt their eyes sliding shut. They fell asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

It was only a few more days of traveling before the heroes all came to the same conclusion; they needed _real_ rest. So when they came across a small house, they leapt upon their chance. Phantom walked up to the front door and knocked.

Several moments passed, as Evan and Mercedes stood behind him waiting, before a middle-aged woman opened the door. Her red hair was tied back in a ponytail and her eyes searched them before widening.

"The heroes," She breathed.

All three of them were taken aback; how likely was it for a stranger to recognize them as the legendary heroes? All of the books on them had disappeared.

Quickly recovering, Phantom bowed and grinned. "At your service, m'lady. We wanted to inquire as to a temporary living situation for us to recover our vitality, if it would be no bother."

"Of course you can stay here! However long as you need," The lady smiled brightly. "You must be the reveled master thief Phantom!"

"Now _that_ has a nice ring to it," Phantom preened.

Evan stepped up. "Um... What's your name, ma'am?"

"Antebellum, but it's a bit of a mouthful. Just Belle is fine," Belle stepped aside from the door and gestured the travelers in. "Make yourselves at home. You boys will have to stay in my daughter's old room. Your highness, you'll have to stay with me."

Mercedes blinked slowly. "...'Your highness'?"

"You _are _the queen of elves, are you not?" Belle asked reverently.

"Yes, but... I only ask that my people refer to me as such. To humans, I am Mercedes."

"Of course. And your name, dear?" The redhead gestured to Evan.

"I'm Evan, and this is Mir," Evan poked Mir, who was sitting on his shoulder, tail wrapped around his neck.

The heroes glanced around the house. It was a homely little place, painted pastel colors and full of sunlight from the partly curtain-covered windows. Belle showed Evan and Phantom to their temporary room.

"Miss Belle, if you don't mind me asking... Where's your daughter?" Phantom inquired smoothly, glancing around the violet colored room. There were old pictures sitting on the window, of Belle and a young lady who appeared to be her daughter.

"_Missing,"_ Belle spat the word out, glaring at her feet. "Or so they say. But I know what happened to her. The goddess damned Black Wings took her. She's a sharp sight at archery. They're trying to make an army, I bet you."

"We'll get her back," Evan blurted out. He flushed, noticing Phantom's sudden stare. "I mean... We'll look for her."

"Thank you," Belle smiled sadly, hands still clenched in her plain, sky blue dress. She walked across the room and slid a photo of the girl out from a picture frame and handed it to Evan.

"If you see her..." The woman trailed off.

"Of course," Phantom nodded.

"I'll leave you be to get settled in. Use the shower as you need, the towels are in the closet," Antebellum turned and left.

* * *

Several hours later, they had all showered. Phantom and Evan sat on the bed, Evan rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Um... There's only one bed..."

"We can share," Phantom suggested.

"N-no, I'll just take the floor," Evan said hurriedly, digging through his pack to find a sleeping bag.

"There's a perfectly fine bed right here," Phantom snorted. Internally, he let himself smile; good, this meant his plan was working, if Evan was flustered about being close to him.

"It really is fine!"

Phantom pointed a finger towards Evan and crooked it in his direction. "Come here."

Evan reluctantly stepped closer. When he did, Phantom caught his arm and pulled him down on the bed.

"Wh-wha-"

"You're obviously far too stressed out if you're making such a big deal over this," Phantom purred. He reeled the younger man close to him and wrapped his legs around his waist so that he could sit on the mage's knees. The blond peeled his gloves off with his teeth and slowly moved his hands up Evan's back.

"Phantom, jeez, let me go," Evan huffed and flailed.

"Not until you get a massage!" Phantom grinned.

Mir sat on the edge of the bed, making noises something akin to snickering.

_Master, you look ridiculous._

"You're not helping!"

Phantom found a knot and rubbed it with his thumbs, causing Evan to stop struggling because _wow,_ that actually felt pretty nice.

Phantom's fingers worked sensually, slowly and expertly across Evan's back, easing away the tension and sometimes idly tracing a finger down his spine, causing the brunette to erupt in goosebumps and twitch a little bit.

"Where did you learn to do that...?" Evan murmured sleepily several minutes later.

"Simply put, I am a jack of all trades."

"More like a jackass of all trades," Evan retorted, made bold by how close to unconsciousness he was. At that moment, he reminded Phantom of Freud so much that it stung.

Immediately after, Evan jerked a little bit and blushed even more. "S-sorry.. I didn't mean it."

Phantom just pulled Evan closer so that his head rested against his shoulder. He placed his chin on top of the boy's head. As the minutes passed by, Evan fell fast asleep, his body slumped completely against Phantom's. It was warm and comfortable, and Phantom found himself simply running his fingers through Evan's hair. It was soft.

He caught himself quickly.

_What the hell am I doing? He's asleep. I don't need to play my games any longer._

Phantom's breath caught and he nearly shoved Evan away from him, feeling nauseated.

_Nonononono, I __**can't**_ _be in love with __**Evan,**__ of all people._

Phantom, calm on the outside despite his internal panic, gently laid Evan down on the bed. Then, he dashed to the bathroom, sliding to the wall and panting for breath.

_I can't fall in love again..._

Phantom choked back a dry heave.

_Love causes nothing but pain._

"Oh Goddess, I'm in love with Evan," he whispered.

Phantom threw up in the toilet.

* * *

Quickly after Phantom's panic attack had passed, Antebellum was calling them down for dinner. Putting on a mask, the master thief casually sat down at the table.

"Where's Evan?" Mercedes asked. Phantom resisted the urge to flinch. Instead, he waved a hand nonchalantly.

"Asleep. We can save him some dinner for when he wakes up."

Dinner was a homely affair consisting of mushroom soup, mashed potatoes and gravy. It wasn't the haute cuisine that Phantom was used to, but it was tasty enough. Unfortunately, it felt like ashes on his tongue, considering his current predicament.

Phantom sighed.

_I won't let this get the best of me. I'm going to break my heart, and if it breaks his too, it doesn't matter. He'll move on, and so will I._

_At least... I hope so._

* * *

**AN: And here, Phantom shows how he's both a jerk and a sweetheart all in one. Of course, that's why I love him!  
**

**Sorry about the sudden OC, she's not important at all and won't return in the story. Her daughter may temporarily appear, though.**

**Anyways, am I moving this too fast? I've intended this to be somewhere around five chapters, but I'm not sure whether I've made Phantom fall in love too fast or not. Personally, I myself fall in love with people rather quickly. Feedback is appreciated! I do want to improve my writing, after all.**


	5. Conflict, conflicted

Evan was afraid to be back in Henesys. The reason why? His family. Henesys was quintessentially _home, _and it ached in an almost pleasant way to walk within it again. This place had been his childhood, ferrying messages and farm goods between his house and the town, and playing with Utah and Camilla 'til there was straw in his hair, on his back... Heck, even down his pants. Henesys was wishing on mushrooms and climbing on rooftops, looking up at the clear night sky, tracing the constellations with his little fingers.

And if he stayed here, he almost swore he would run back home and wrap himself up in his mother's and father's arms. He would lock the doors and windows and the rest of the world would forget _Evan the dragon master, successor of Freud_. No. He was just _Evan._

The brunette had been cast into a role that would require filling someone else's shoes. And that someone else? One of the greatest men in history, even if the history books had forgotten about him. Evan had never been anything special. He was good at his chores and often was pushed into doing his brother's as well. He had a special connection with animals. But he had never displayed any _real _talents, and now, Evan still couldn't shake the feeling that _Mir_ was the powerful hero, not him.

Plus, he was afraid that his parents would see him. But that was unlikely; they usually stayed home, and besides... Evan couldn't help but think that he hardly looked like himself, striding along with a 'lizard' wrapped around both shoulders, tail curled around his neck, and chatting with a lethal-looking pair of people. Evan the farmboy would have been dressed in an old t-shirt and a pair of shorts, not an extravagant red and gold ensemble.

The one good side to all that Evan had been forced into was Phantom.

Phantom, who was always nice and friendly towards him. Phantom, who he looked up to. Phantom, who was attractive. Phantom... Who Evan had a crush on.

Before Phantom had first _truly_ approached him, Evan had never paid a large amount of attention to him. Of course, the young man was observant in nature, so he _had_ noticed that Phantom carried a great burden on his shoulders and masked it with a smile. Evan had been friendly towards him, but there had never been a great deal of a response in return.

But from that day that Phantom had offered to teach him fighting skills onward, the rich man had been more open towards Evan. And... Evan had liked what he had seen.

Evan knew it was taboo to have a relationship between an older man and a younger, but... Age was oftentimes just a number. The brunette had met older men and women who acted very immature, and he himself was a fifteen year old who was very wise for his short years. He didn't think it was right to judge people based on their age, and love was love, no matter who it was between.

He wasn't sure if Phantom would ever love him back, though.

Evan remembered a conversation with Mercedes he had had...

"_Evan. I'd like to talk to you," Mercedes murmured, glancing at Phantom, who was fast asleep. Evan wondered if he had done something wrong._

_The elf queen gently guided him to a tree beside the lake, out of Phantom's hearing range in case he woke up._

_Mercedes was abrupt, as she always was. "I've seen the way you look at him."_

_Evan looked down hesitantly, knowing better than to think he could get away with a 'I don't know what you're talking about'. He simply stood there silently, feeling hot all over due to how embarrassed and uncomfortable he was._

"_You love him, don't you?"_

_Evan looked up, "Is that wrong?" He asked honestly._

"_Of course not. I've never understood why humankind make such a fuss about different types of people loving each other. However... I have to warn you, Phantom may not be able to love you in return."_

_Evan's eyes widened and he bit his lip, heart racing, "Why?" He asked panickingly._

"_Because he's lost so much," Mercedes took a deep breath and sat down, urging Evan to sit down beside her._

"_I don't know if I should be telling you this, Evan..." She muttered reluctantly, glancing over at their sleeping companion. "I suppose you deserve to know."_

"_Hundreds of years ago... He loved a woman, and that woman was the Empress, Aria. Back then, he wasn't a hero; he stole from many people, and was infamous for it," Mercedes laughed, a clear, beautiful sound, "I can't say I exactly approved of him, later on... Well, he loved her, and she was beginning to return his feelings. But the night that he was going to ask her to be his lover, she went to meet an 'envoy' of the Black Mage's to negotiate terms of peace."_

"_It was a trap. Any fool could see that; I still don't understand Aria's recklessness. She could have at least brought her knights and had them hide, ready to defend her if needed."_

_Mercedes sighed._

"_They killed her. Phantom's never been the same as I assume he was before. He's been on this idiotic quest for vengeance ever since, and it's worsened since Freud's death. I'm not sure if he's ready to truly love anyone else, __whether platonically or romantically._"

"_I just wanted to warn you."_

It had been... Difficult to hear that. It made Evan want to cry, hearing about how Aria had died. Phantom must have been in so much pain. And yet... Somehow, he was still alive, and somehow he still had kindness in him to show to Evan.

It had awoken a new level of admiration and love for the man within Evan. Every time he was around him, his heart pounded, and he perked up every time Phantom talked to him. It was almost unbearable, how much he felt for him.

_I love you so much, Phantom..._

* * *

_I hate you so much, Evan, _Phantom seethed as he walked beside Mercedes and the dragon master himself. Evan, with his perfect blue eyes and his messy hair, and-

_Goddess._

Phantom hung his head and focused instead on walking on. The three heroes were headed to Athena Pierce's doorstep, to ask about the portal.

It wasn't very long before they had arrived... After all, Phantom had literally bumped into Athena.

"Heroes. You have to help, they've kidnapped Camilla," She said hurriedly, recognizing them immediately. Evan's eyes widened. He knew Camilla!

"The Black Wings?"

"Yes! Come with me," The heroes chased after Athena, running as fast as they could. No words were exchanged as adrenaline rushed through each of them. Phantom was almost faster than Athena; he couldn't let another innocent girl die. He couldn't!

The archer woman led them to somewhere along the outskirts of Ellinia, not far from Luminous and Lania's home. There, they caught sight of a whirling, darkly colored portal... That was quickly closing.

Evan's eyes widened. They weren't going to make it! The portal was going to close...

No. Camilla was his friend! He couldn't let them do anything to her.

Evan ran as fast as he could, and, focusing on the magic he and Mir shared, he and the dragon teleported into the portal just as it closed, at the same time as Phantom dove in. The others were too late.

"Camilla!" The mage shouted upon seeing the redheaded girl, along with... Was that Antebellum's daughter?

Camilla was tied up and unconscious, but the other teen was standing up with her head bowed. She looked up, and her eyes were entirely black.

"Hello, _heroes," _She spat smugly.

"Get out of that girl's body," Phantom's eyes narrowed, immediately realizing that it was a puppetry spell. _Black magic._

"No way! I have orders to kill you," She, or rather, _he_ announced. "Can't risk my own skin, after all. Well, want to know my name, before you die?" He taunted. Phantom found it sickening to hear a Black Wing using an innocent girl's voice to speak.

"Who cares?"

"Francis," Francis ignored Phantom.

And then he was lunging at them with a sword in his- or rather, Antebellum's daughter's- hand.

_Master! _Mir yelped just before Evan dodged. The young man saw Phantom turning his cane into a staff, ready to fire a bolt of magic at Francis, but Evan shouted in alarm. "Don't! He's possessing Camilla's body, she'll get hurt!"

Evan took a breath. "Let me handle this," With a deceivingly calm appearance, Evan drew his sword..

And he charged.

Their swords clanged together loudly. Evan's swordplay was elegant, having learned from a master. He parried and dodged and twisted every which way.

_Every opponent has a weakness_, Phantom's words echoed in his head.

Evan, in between the strikes of he and Francis's swords, studied the other teen, searching for weak points.

Francis jabbed his sword just right and before Evan could manage to parry it, it dug deeply into his shoulder. The dragon master cried out in pain. Evan could feel Mir's worry for him as he side-stepped and quickly fought the other sword off with his own.

_Stay focused on the fight._

Evan, soon enough, noticed that Francis was missing more hits on the left side than the right.

_Aha!_ Of course, Belle's daughter must be blind in one eye!

The next swing, Evan went on the offensive, aiming each strike towards the left side.

And he won. His sword slid against Francis's neck... And the puppeteer smirked, "What are you gonna do, kill me? Kill _her?_" He taunted.

Phantom stepped up, pointing his cane to the side of the Black Wing's head. "He won't, but I will," The master thief said smoothly.

"Phantom, you can't!" Evan breathed anxiously.

"The moment I see you withdrawing from her body, I will kill the both of you. Open the portal and I'll let you go."

Several tense moments passed.

"Fine."

The portal opened. True to his word, Phantom withdrew the cane.

And then Francis was gone, leaving behind another unconscious girl.

"I wouldn't truly have done it," Phantom gently assured Evan, who was trembling.

"Y-yeah... Sorry."

Mercedes and Athena rushed in, checking over the two of them.

"Evan! You're bleeding," Mercedes hissed.

"I'm fi...ne."

Evan abruptly collapsed on the ground.

* * *

**AN: Hi. I can't write fight scenes okay?**

**ARE Y'ALL EXCITED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER WHICH IS ALSO THE LAST ONE?**


	6. This is how to be a heartbreaker

_All my days are spent, all my cards are dealt. Oh, the desolation grows._

* * *

Evan found himself awake after what had felt like a long sleep. There was an unfamiliar window next to the bed he was laying on, bringing in light into the otherwise darkened room. The boy glanced out of it to see... Ellinia? And it appeared that he was on an upper floor of a house...

"You're awake?" Came a not very familiar voice.

"Luminous?" Evan asked, startled. He had met the man, but didn't know him very well.

_Master! Thank Rhinne,_ Mir called, relieved. Evan then noticed the dragon sitting beside his bedside. The dragon master struggled to sit up, but cried out in pain, clutching at his shoulder. Blood was beginning to soak through the previously clean bandages wrapped around it.

"Lay back down," Luminous chided, walking over to the young man's bedside, carrying along with him a roll of bandages.

"How come I'm here?"

"Athena and the other heroes brought you here for healing, as my house was the closest to you," The light mage explained. He sat down in a chair beside the bed.

There was hesitation in Luminous's eyes.

"Evan... I need to talk to you."

"About what?" Evan was bemused, then. Through his pain, he still managed a sense of curiosity. He laid back against the fluffy pillows and slowly pulled the blankets closer to him, wincing as he did so. He glanced at Luminous and found it interesting, the contrast between his differently colored eyes.

Luminous took a deep breath. Evan instantly knew that this wasn't going to be good. It hardly ever was when someone told him they needed to talk. This was bad news.

"Has Phantom become... Closer to you, recently?"

"Yes?" Evan was befuddled. He almost reached up to rub the back of his neck, a nervous tick of his, but he knew it would hurt, so he stopped. Luminous looked so serious... The young dragon master looked out the window. It was raining outside. He distracted himself with the patterns the raindrops made on the window.

"Listen... Evan, I jokingly made a bet with Phantom," Luminous glanced away in a manner that was uncharacteristically sheepish.

Evan felt his stomach dropping in the next moment, as their eyes met.

"I bet that he wouldn't be able to get you or Mercedes to fall in love with him."

The words hit him like a blow.

Phantom hadn't flirted with Mercedes. But he had flirted with _him._

_All of it was a lie?_

All of the close moments between them? All of the comforting words Phantom had spoken towards him? All of their _friendship_ was just based on a stupid _bet?!_

_What am I, a puppet?_

"I'm sorry. I never meant to involve you in our stupidity," Luminous looked regretful. He turned away, "I'll come back to change your bandages later."

It was only after the door shut that tears welled up in Evan's eyes.

Mir wordlessly curled up by his side, looking into his blue eyes with his own sorrowful gold ones.

"Well, you got what you wished for, _Phantom,"_ Evan spat, wiping his cheeks roughly with the back of his hand. "I fell in love with you."

Something inside of him broke.

_Mir... I'm never going to love someone again. I can't trust anyone but myself._

Phantom paced back and forth downstairs from where Evan lay, hands clenched into fists. "Luminous, just let me see him!" He shouted frustratedly.

"No," Luminous's eyes narrowed. "Evan is resting right now. And why should _you_ be allowed to see him? You played him like a card."

"What are you talking about?" Phantom clenched his hands. Confusion was etched onto his handsome face.

"The challenge! The boy's in love with you, haven't you noticed?"

"He's not, what the fuck are you talking about?" Phantom hissed. How dare Luminous play with him like this?

"You won. I know that you would never try to seduce Mercedes, so you went for _him,_ didn't you? You've just been messing with his feelings all this time."

"At first! But then I really started to care for him!" Phantom continued his pacing, distraught. "You were the one who challenged me!"

"I wasn't serious! I told him the truth."

Phantom halted, "Oh Goddess," He whispered.

Evan was going to hate him.

"Get the fuck out of my way, Luminous."

_I have to make things right._

Luminous sighed. "Don't you dare mess with that kid anymore. You'd better apologize."

With a quick nod, Phantom was rushing up the stairs. He hurriedly opened the door to the temporary room for Evan.

He was met with a hissing dragon in his face, "Get away from me," Evan whispered furiously.

"Evan!-"

"I said, _get away from me!"_ Evan shouted. In a rush, the brunette stood shakily and ran to the door, pushing Phantom out of the way. He ran down the stairs, ignoring the pain he was in, and found his way outside, rushing outside at top speed. He didn't care where he was going, he just needed to get away from there.

Branches scratched Evan's face as he ran away as fast as he could, becoming soaked by the pouring rain.

Meanwhile, Phantom stood in the middle of the upper floor room, stunned. Mir was glaring at him furiously, still.

Mercedes came up the stairs with a sigh and came to stand in front of Phantom with a sigh, having heard what had happened. "Well, don't just stand there, go after him!"

And reality hit Phantom. Evan was _injured._

Phantom ran faster than he had ever ran before.

* * *

Evan came to a stop, clutching at a tree, his hand feeling the worn out, wet bark, as he doubled over panting. His shoulder was on fire. The world was spinning, and bright spots flashed before his eyes. Dizziness was overcoming him.

"This isn't how it's supposed to be," He murmured sadly.

"You're right."

Evan whirled around, eyes wide, and saw the very man he had been running from.

"Phantom," The dragon master's breath hitched.

"Evan, stop running away from me."

"Why? So you can play with me some more?" Evan asked jadedly, voice hard as steel. "I'm not just a kid for you to mess with, you know."

"I know that. Just listen to me, I didn't mean to-"

"To make me fall in love with you?!" Evan cried out. "That's all this has been about, hasn't it? Just a game, see if you can get poor little Evan to break Well, _congratulations,"_ Evan's voice shook with rage and pain. His head bowed. "You won."

"Look, maybe I meant that from the start, but it changed. And I'm _sorry,_" Phantom breathed raggedly. "I'm so sorry."

"It was all just a lie," Evan sounded numb.

"_Really, _Evan?" Phantom's brows furrowed. "You think that I lied to you? What about all of the times I talked to you, I had fun with you, I _taught _you? We're _friends!_ That wasn't just a _lie. _How could I have lied about all of that?"

"I never should've trusted a thief!" Evan shouted.

Phantom flinched. That had been a low blow.

The hero took a deep breath and composed himself.

"Evan. That day, when I first asked you to be my disciple... You're right. It was just a game to me. But I never thought that you would really fall for me," Phantom took a step forward. Evan took a step back, his back against the tree. "And I never thought that I'd really grow to care about you." He took another step forward. "You're my best friend. You know that?" The thief asked brokenly.

Phantom swallowed hard. He was now so close to Evan that he could feel his body warmth. "And..."

"I never thought that I would fall in love with you."

Evan's eyes widened. Time stood still, in that moment. And then Phantom leaned forward.

They kissed.

It was the most tentative of brushes, their lips feather-light against each other. But it sent sparks through both of them. Phantom closed his eyes and desperately pushed harder against Evan, realizing that he probably would get the chance to do this ever again.

Phantom pulled back, letting his forehead rest against Evan's. He breathed in Evan's breath in the most intimate of ways. His fingers came up to caress the brunette's cheek.

"Please forgive me, Evan..." He whispered.

Evan broke down, then, sobbing hard. He wrapped his arms around Phantom tightly, holding the other man against him in a vice grip. He buried his face in the thief's neck.

And the rain fell down.

Phantom sank down to the ground, holding Evan in his arms. They were sheltered by the boughs of the tree. Phantom smiled, reminded of the last time they had been caught in the rain together. Rain dripped down from his bangs to slide down his nose.

They sat there for what felt like hours, until the rain stopped and the sun came through.

"I love you, Evan," He breathed it like a promise to the boy he held to his chest.

Evan smiled slowly, pulling back a little.

And Phantom swore, then, that Evan, bathed in the post-rain sunshine, his sky blue eyes shyly meeting his, was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.

"I love you too."

* * *

**AN: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed, despite how short this was.**


	7. Epilogue: Snow day

The heroes were in El Nath.

The ground was covered in a nearly knee deep covering of snow. This place clearly didn't get much sun; the locals were bustling, broad-shouldered men and women dressed in thick furs and carrying spears. Several of them were patrolling the entrances to the town, talking gruffly amongst each other. A dark mood seemed to have settled over the town that had nothing to do with the cold weather.

When they first set foot outside of Orbis Tower, Evan had stood there, eyes wide and his lips parted soundlessly.

"You'll catch a fly if you do that," Phantom smirked, playfully running his thumb over Evan's lip. The brunette blushed a little bit, smiling at his lover. They had been together for several months now, ever since Evan's break down and attempt at running away. His shoulder had healed nicely since then, although there was still a scar. Mercedes often shook her head when she caught Evan and Phantom looking at each other with sappy smiles. They really did love each other.

"I've never seen snow before!" Evan exclaimed excitedly. It was true; Henesys didn't exactly get much more than sunny weather, with the very occasional rain.

El Nath, though? It was known as the village of eternal snow for a reason.

_It's so white and fluffy!_

A slow grin spread across Evan's face and, without any warning, he fell backwards into the snow.

Wow. That was cold.

"Evan, come on, we need to get to town," Phantom snorted at the young man's antics.

Mercedes shook her head. "It's fine. The two of you can stay here, I'll go investigate," Without another word, the elven queen strode off, bowguns swinging against her hips. Evan took off his red gloves and wiggled his fingers in the snow happily, amazed by the texture. It was just so soft! He pushed himself up and, while Phantom was spacing out, he packed together some snow.

The recently turned sixteen year-old threw the snowball at Phantom. The man blinked, startled, and just stared at Evan, causing the dragon master to panic a little. That was what you were supposed to do in the snow, wasn't it?

And then slowly, Phantom smirked. He packed up a snowball of his own.

"_Oh shit-" _Evan hissed and laughed as he turned and ran. He had taken to cussing when Mercedes wasn't around, due to Phantom's influence.

Mir flew along with him, also amazed by his first experience with snow. Together, they started to lose Phantom as the thick snow crunched beneath Evan's boots. Spotting a rock, Evan ducked behind it, letting out a sigh.

_I think we lost him, Mir,_ He declared triumphantly...

-Just before a handful of icy cold snow was shoved down the back of his neck.

"Ah!" Evan yelped loudly and girlishly, rubbing at his back panickingly. That was frickin' cold! He turned around and saw Phantom laughing so hard he was doubled over clutching his stomach. The sight of Phantom's smile was almost gorgeous enough for Evan to let him go.

_Almost_.

With a battle cry, Evan charged at Phantom, knocking the unsuspecting thief down to the ground so that he was straddling his waist.

Mir coughed telepathically. _I think I'll leave you two alone, master..._ The dragon flew off just as Evan's face turned red.

"What are you gonna do now?" Phantom smirked, noticing how awkward Evan had become all of a sudden. He put his hands behind his head leisurely.

Evan's brain short-circuited. Phantom took the opportunity to flip them over and pin Evan down in the snow. He admired the sight of Evan, with snow in his hair and on his front, and how his face looked dazed. It was always cute, the way he could fluster him.

"HeyumweshouldprobablygetbacktotownnowIbetMercedesiswaitingforushahaumyeah-" Evan babbled.

Phantom shut him up with a kiss.

It was soft and sweet, their lips moving together. It left tingles in Evan's chest as his blue eyes lidded. The brunette wrapped his arms around Phantom and kissed back. Somehow, Phantom's tongue snuck into his mouth when he hadn't noticed and it licked wetly against Evan's.

Evan had read romance novels before and he didn't really get the kissing scenes in them. Phantom had no particular taste; just teeth and tongue and lips, and he'd never seen anything so dramatic as fireworks or stars behind his eyes as he was kissed. It was slow and relaxing and intimate and it made Evan's head spin a little bit.

Evan smiled against Phantom's lips and deviously, discreetly grabbed a handful of snow.

He shoved it down the back of Phantom's pants and watched the man make the most undignified sound he had ever heard from him and run around frantically. It was Evan's turn to double over laughing.

Hours later, the two of them stumbled into town, lovedrunk and laughing and wrapped up in each other.

They may be hunting the most powerful, evil man on Maple, but hey, even heroes deserved a snow day.

* * *

**AN: Surprise, surprise! It's an extra chapter. Hope you like it! **


End file.
